The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress in the 2027 election, Atiku Abubakar, has urged President Bola Tinubu to focus on addressing Nigeria's mounting socio-economic and security challenges rather than engaging in political confrontations.
Atiku, in a statement issued on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, was reacting to the President's recent declaration that he would "wrestle his opponents to the finish."
The former Vice President described the President's comment as misplaced, arguing that it came in response to an appeal by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria for peaceful, transparent and credible elections.
According to Atiku, the remark reflected what he described as a lack of humility and statesmanship expected of the nation's leader during an engagement with one of Nigeria's foremost religious bodies.
"Mr. President, you are a drowning man. Wrestle with your failures, not your opponents," Atiku said.
He maintained that the President should concentrate on tackling inflation, rising food prices, insecurity, unemployment, the depreciation of the naira and declining public confidence in government instead of directing attention to political rivals.
The former Vice President said millions of Nigerians were battling economic hardship and insecurity, insisting that governance should take precedence over political rhetoric.
He added, "The President should wrestle with the millions of Nigerians who now skip meals because food has become a luxury. He should wrestle with the insecurity that has turned farming communities into graveyards and highways into hunting grounds for criminals."
Atiku further argued that Nigerians were more interested in the performance of government than political exchanges, stressing that "empty slogans cannot fill empty stomachs" or reverse the country's economic challenges.
He also said President Tinubu's greatest challenge was not the opposition but the record of his administration, which he claimed had left many Nigerians struggling with unemployment, insecurity and economic hardship.
The ADC presidential candidate urged the President to dedicate the remainder of his tenure to resolving the country's pressing problems, maintaining that Nigerians would assess his administration based on its performance rather than political statements.
"The Nigerian people are not looking for a wrestler. They are looking for a leader. History will not remember who shouted the loudest. It will remember who governed the best," Atiku stated.
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